- Allegations of
mold at a trendy Los Angeles restaurant have launched an old debate about how to safely enjoy fruit preserves. - Some are wondering if it's OK to still eat jam or jelly, whether high-end or homemade, as long as you scrape off any visible mold.
- However, jam and jelly can host toxin-producing mold species that can be hazardous to your
health , according to microbiologists, so you should discard any moldy jam immediately.
Recently, a trendy L.A. brunch destination has come under fire after allegations that the cafe's iconic house-made jams are covering in visible mold, and employees are told to scrape the mold off the surface and serve it anyway.
The discussion has ignited a well-preserved debate for both high-end and homemade products alike: whether you might be OK to just scrape off the visible mold and enjoy the rest.
Despite some high-profile people (such as former UK Prime Minister Theresa May) confessing to eating around fuzzy fungus on their preserves, experts say you shouldn't follow their lead.
Not all molds are dangerous (and some, like those used to make cheese, are in fact delicious), but it's best to avoid any mold that hasn't intentionally been added to your food.
According to the USDA, visible mold is only part of the developing organism that's made its home inside your jam jar. Where the white or green fuzzy is seen on the surface, the mold has also grown root threads below. These aren't always apparent, but can contain some dangerous and downright toxic compounds.
For instance, some types of foods, specifically grapes and apples, are known to host poisonous types of mold substances known as mycotoxins, according to the USDA. If ingested, they can cause gastrointestinal issues and vomiting in the short terms, and potentially damage organs like your kidneys and liver and/or increase risk of cancer in the long term, according to the World Health Organization.
As such, microbiologists strongly urge you to discard any jams or jellies that contain visible mold, even if it's only seen on the surface, per the USDA.
But even if your food doesn't specifically host mycotoxin-producing mold types, visible mold can also signal other potential issues with jam (and other canned goods) since the fact that mold was able to grow there suggests it was improperly heated or sealed, and could be home to other types of bacteria or fungus. So you'd still have to worry about food poisoning at the very least, according to the Healthy Canning website.
Finally, a word on the sniff test, a common method of checking whether food has gone off.
If your jam or jelly has visible mold on it, don't lean into the jar and take an exploratory whiff. First, you can already see it's begun to rot and this is likely to be unpleasant. Second, this can allow any meandering moldy spores a one-way ticket into your respiratory system, according to USDA. They don't belong there anymore than they do in your digestive system.
Read more:
What could actually happen to you if you eat food past its expiration date